An Exploratory Study into the Correlates of Exceptional Experiences in the Psychomanteum

Objective: To explore how individual differences and physical and physiological factors correlate with exceptional experiences (ExE) in a psychomanteum.

Methods: Thirty people who reported a prior experience with a “ghost” participated in a psychomanteum. Fifteen also experience synesthesia. The procedure consisted of a 15-minute intention session and 45-minute mirror gazing session (psychomanteum). Heart rate variability (HRV), the output of a random number generator (RNG), the local electro-magnetic field (EMF), geomagnetic fluctuations (GMF) and infrared camera recordings were made for baseline periods and during mirror gazing sessions. Participants pressed a button that sent a time stamp to the computer if they had a sense of presence or strong visual imagery. Participants completed an interview and a post-session questionnaire.

Results: Synesthetes did not differ from non-synesthetes on ExE, reported presences, ratings of vividness, realness, or how much space their ExE seemed to take up. Creativity correlated with the vividness and realness of imagery. The RNG output correlated negatively with the extent to which ExE were rated as taking up space (for synesthetes only). The GMF and EMF correlated with HRV and with the extent to which experiences were rated as taking up space (synesthetes only). Camera anomalies were found in both baseline and psychomanteum conditions. There was a significant difference in the RNG output where there were anomalies compared to no anomalies in the psychomanteum condition.

Conclusions: Results suggest possible interactions between individual differences, subjective experiences, environmental factors, and the output of a RNG.